Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Something Wiki this way went – and now all journalists have to fight for Assange - The Leigh G Banks Preservation Society

Something Wiki this way went – and now all journalists have to fight for Assange - The Leigh G Banks Preservation Society

It is likely that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out on January 4 next year whether he will finally be extradited to the US and face 175 years in jail. Assange – who is 49 years old – faces 18 charges, including plotting to hack computers and conspiring to gather and disclose national defence … Read More Read More
It is likely that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out on January 4 next year whether he will finally be extradited to the US and face 175 years in jail.

Assange – who is 49 years old – faces 18 charges, including plotting to hack computers and conspiring to gather and disclose national defence information.

The mathematics ‘genius’ is said to have conspired with notorious defence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers.

WikiLeaks is not a news platform, does not have a mandate to deliver properly defined news. And it doesn’t adhere to any real defined editorial controls.

But the decision in January could not only throw Assange into hellish hidden celebrity for the rest of his life, it could have massive consequences on the freedom of the world’s press.

So, sadly, all of us REAL journalists need to back the man often described as an ‘information terrorist’ no matter what we think about him personally.

Many hard-boiled journalists like myself believe that he is a great pretender as far as investigative journalism is concerned … yes, he has co-authored a book and, sure, he is an honorary member of an Australian journalist’s union.

And, let’s face it, he did reveal secrets people wanted to keep quiet. That is a cornerstone of a journalists job.

But it is the way he did it all that is the problem.

A large part of the news industry agrees with me and, certainly, he should have many ethical questions to answer.


Put simply, he was instrumental in publishing vast amounts of unedited material which, almost certainly, put his sources at risk.

None of it had been through the necessary journalistic processes and considerations it needed.

‘WikiLeaks’s method of dumping data on the public without looking in to the motivations of the leakers leaves it open to manipulation,’ Committee to Protect Journalists boss Joel Simon said.

Also Assange fell out with the editors of The Guardian and the Times who were at least attempting to apply proper tests of journalism.

And don’t forget he is a hacker – something any real journalist would not stoop to (or at least would never admit to these days).

He has been accused of rape too, the case against him only being dropped because “the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question”.

Julian is also a fugitive from the law and has broken bail … there’s lots more of course.

But with all this said, it is true that his case could have an irreparable effect on journalism and so we journalists need to fight his corner.

Not for him, but for our own sakes and the sake of a free and informed world.

If successful, his prosecution would be likely to criminalise investigative journalists.

His prosecution is a real threat to journalists around the world who could potentially be prosecuted for publishing classified information.

As journalists we need to fight for freedom of speech and the freedom of the Press to report. We can not let the right to gather, receive, or publish information of public interest be eroded.

Otherwise we might as well shut down the presses and go home.

The liars, the cheats, the conmen, the criminals, the politicians and the conglomerates will have won at a time when the common man and woman are already on their knees because of a very suspect pandemic.

So, sadly, right now we have to stand up for Assange and be counted.

#assange #julian #US #media #wikileaks
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×